GETTY Jimmy Garoppolo #10 of the San Francisco 49ers looks on before Super Bowl LIV against the Kansas City Chiefs at Hard Rock Stadium on February 02, 2020 in Miami, Florida.
Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk gave his honest opinion on San Francisco 49ers QB Jimmy Garoppolo’s future in Santa Clara, California.
The creator and owner of Pro Football Talk went on San Francisco station KNBR to discuss the 49ers, with a large portion of the conversation centering around Jimmy G.
“They’re saying what they have to say to support their guy. They’ve got the financial commitment made. They thought about Tom Brady. They decided to stick with the guy they have. Unless he comes out and addresses some of those flaws, and shows the kind of performance that doesn’t have Kyle Shanahan abandon the passing game, and focus solely on the running game, these rumors are going to continue.”
These are strong words in general, but Florio’s comment about 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan having to drop the passing game is possibly worth the closest look.
Florio’s Comments and Jimmy G’s Numbers
Garoppolo only threw 27 times in San Francisco’s first two playoff games, completing 17 of 27 passes, 208 yards, a touchdown and an interception.
Florio’s point is that the former New England Patriot couldn’t pull his weight in those two games, and said that’s why fellow NFL analyst Chris Simms ranked Garoppolo as the 16th best QB in the NFL.
“Look, he was marginalized in the playoffs once he threw three passes that were all intercept-able balls,” Florio said. “All by (Vikings LB) Eric Kendricks. Kendricks caught one of them. It was the third one in the [second] quarter that caused Kyle Shanahan to say, ‘Throw out the passing plays. Let’s just run the ball until they stop us.’
“That carried over into the NFC Championship Game where Jimmy Garoppolo had Bob Griese stat lines — Bob Griese from the early 70s. Like, you know, six throws.”
Technically, Jimmy G had eight throws and six completions against the Green Bay Packers, but the 49ers QB didn’t have much work to do anyways after running back Raheem Mostert’s first-half hat-trick to put the game away quickly.
However, Florio does have a point in the fact that Garoppolo was lucky to walk away with two less interceptions after Minnesota Vikings linebacker Eric Kendricks nearly had his hands on two more of the QB’s passes.
Is Aaron Rodgers the Future Replacement for Jimmy Garoppolo?
One of Florio’s more sensational comments was speculation over Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers, who’s future in Green Bay seems considerably less certain after the team drafted Utah State QB Jordan Love with their first-round pick in the 2020 NFL Draft.
“And you know the guy we’re going to be hearing about going into the next offseason,” Florio said. “It’s going to be an Aaron Rodgers homecoming that becomes the topic of plenty of speculation in San Francisco if Garoppolo doesn’t take it to the next level.”
This is a season that Jimmy G needs to execute, but not just for his own job, but because his success and improvement could be the difference between another appearance in the Super Bowl and winning a Super Bowl.
READ NEXT: NFL Physician Shares Encouraging Opinion on 49ers Star’s Recent Surgery
Evan Reier is a sportswriter covering the San Francisco 49ers for Heavy.com and local sports for the Montana Standard in Butte, MT. Follow and reach out to him on Twitter at @evanreier.